A DVD also exists from a new production staged by La Scala in 1991, again with Ramey and Muti. Throughout that decade Ramey "unquestionably rack up more performances in the role than any bass since its creator" in houses such as La Fenice and San Francisco, finally making an audio recording in 1989, under Riccardo Muti. The cast included Nicolai Ghiaurov as Attila, Piero Cappuccilli as Ezio, Mara Zampieri as Odabella, and Piero Visconti as Foresto.įrom 1981 onwards the role of Attila was taken up by the American bass, Samuel Ramey, who made his first appearances at the New York City Opera in March 1981 in the opera which had not been seen in the city for one hundred and thirty years. On 21 December 1980, the Vienna State Opera presented a new production conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, and staged by Giulio Chazalettes. There was a Rome revival a year later, then productions in Trieste in (1965), in Buenos Aires in (1966), in Berlin in (1971), and in 1972 Attila was performed at the Edinburgh Festival and in Florence. In the 20th century, it was revived in concert performance during Venice Festival of 1951 with Caterina Mancini, Gino Penno, Giangiacomo Guelfi, and Italo Tajo, under the conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and at Sadler's Wells in London in 1963 (with an English libretto), with Rae Woodland, Donald Smith, Harry Mossfield and Donald McIntyre, with Muir Mathieson conducting. The opera was first given in New York City in 1850. The Attila premiere featured Sophie Cruvelli, Italo Gardoni, Velletti, and Cruzzoni. In his 1864 autobiography he notes that "none perhaps of Verdi's works had kindled more enthusiasm in Italy or crowned the fortunate composer with more abundant laurels than Attila. Īttila was first produced in London in 1848 by Benjamin Lumley who, as impresario at Her Majesty's Theatre, had successfully presented Verdi's I masnadieri there in 1847. One production in Como is recorded to have taken place in 1875, after which the opera appears to have disappeared in Italy, at least. Īfter its world premiere in 1846 in Venice, the opera went on to be produced in all of the major Italian cities (plus Barcelona, Lisbon, and Trieste), a total of over 25 productions, including one in Palermo under the title of Gli Unni e I Romani in 1855. As Budden notes, "the Italian public had taken Attila to their hearts" and he adds that a line sung by the Roman general Ezio in a duet – "Avrai tu l'universo, resta l'Italia a me" (You can have the universe, but leave Italy for me) – brought forth spontaneous cheers". Overall, the reception from the press on opening night was not as positive as that from the audience present. However, the relationship between composer and the new librettist worsened in a variety of ways, especially over the use of stage bands in the context of the composer claiming to think in terms of his work being a grand opera: "Aren't Guillaume Tell and Robert le Diable grand operas? Yet they don't contain a band." And the differences between Piave's version and what Solera (who received a copy of Piave's act 3) had originally conceived were so great as to cause a final rift between Verdi and his long-time collaborator the composer's ideas of musical theatre had moved far ahead of his older colleague. Then came the second blow: Solera left the project altogether and followed his opera singer wife to Madrid where he became director of the Royal Theatre, leaving only the draft sketch of the third act.Īs things turned out, Verdi returned to Piave for the completion of act 3 – with Solera's blessing. But the pace began to slow as, firstly, illness limited the composer's ability to do much work. These included reversing the order of key scenes and, in the case of the opening scene showing the foundation of Venice, totally inventing it. Solera's approach to the project was to emphasize an appeal to Italian, specifically Venetian, patriotism, while ignoring many of the elements of the play. No clear reason for this change seems to have emerged, except that Gabriele Baldini speculates that, in returning to Solera, he was more comfortable working with a librettist who was more suited to "sketching epic sagas and historical-religious frescoes. But, as Attila was to be the second opera Verdi would be writing for Venice, he appears to have changed his mind about working with Piave as the librettist and then convinced him to relinquish the project, seemingly preferring to work with Solera, who had been his librettist for both Nabucco and I Lombardi, two operas which employed the format of large choral tableaux and something which the librettist was prepared to re-use for the new opera.
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